The Legendary Mechanic

by <unknown>

  “Thought that I wouldn’t be able to get back up after being defeated by Black Star?” Heber frowned with dissatisfaction. “A loss is a loss, and I will have the opportunity to fight back in the future. Since when have I been so weak in all of your eyes?”

  “No, but your actions caused us to have a misunderstanding…” Jorde hurriedly explained.

  “Humph.” Heber shook his head. When he was just defeated, he truly suffered a huge setback. However, he was a Beyond Grade A Super and had suffered many different setbacks in the past.

  Having his prestige destroyed did indeed make his heart ache, but Heber quickly adjusted his emotions.

  If he looked at things from a different angle, he was not in the worst state in the Shattered Star Ring since Psyker was around.

  Even if his prestige was affected, the Bloodshed Land still had to develop. Heber would not stop the competition with the Black Star Army.

  Using the excuse of taking revenge to beat me up once is enough! Do you want to beat me up every day?

  Do you think that I am a fool‽

  Even if you only send a mechanical soldier, I will not accept the challenge!

  Although Heber recovered from the setback very quickly, he recognized the gap between himself and Black Star. Even if he was not willing, he could only admit that Black Star had already exceeded him greatly.

  As such, Heber no longer had any thought of competing with Black Star for the title of strongest in the Star Field. At the very least, he would not provoke Black Star again with strength unless he was confident in defeating Black Star. He had the attitude of ‘I will come back again after practicing my Kungfu’.

  After admitting that Han Xiao had exceeded him, Heber felt a lot more relaxed. Perhaps it was because he no longer had to compete with a character like Black Star, which allowed him to no longer be on edge.

  He was too lazy to explain his thoughts to Jorde and said with impatience, “Hurry up and report what you have to. Don’t disturb my training if there isn’t anything important.”

  “O-okay.”

  Seeing Heber recover from his setback, Jorde heaved a sigh of relief and immediately reported the situation. At the same time, he emphasized on the members who had left.

  “Don’t need to bother about those who left.” Heber was not too bothered. “They are all fence sitters, and there are many of such people in the universe.”

  Jorde nodded and let out a sigh. Heber was the same as before and did not care about his subordinates.

  At this moment, Heber hesitated for a moment before saying slowly, “Inform all the Calamity Grade Pugilist officers to gather. I will teach them some things. Humph, they have served under me for so long but not improved at all. How embarrassing.”

  Jorde was slightly startled and was stunned for a moment.

  “I understand. They will be very happy to receive your teachings.”

  “Humph, I don’t need you to bootlick me.”

  Jorde then took out an intelligence report and said with a deep voice, “Right, there is something else. An emergency signal was sent out from the Black Star Army just now. For some reason, Manison is targeting Black Star and is currently attacking the main system of the Black Star Army headquarters. Their Virtual Intrusion battle isn’t over yet.”

  “Mechanic Emperor? Does he have any enmity with Black Star?”

  Heber was puzzled.

  “I’m not sure. The outside world says that Black Star’s growth is too rapid, and his ambitions are out of control. He issued a challenge toward the Mechanic Emperor, and thus, the Mechanic Emperor came to Black Star’s territory for a battle to let Black Star see the truth.”

  “It almost sounds like the truth.” Heber frowned. He did not know the secrets of the Divine Throne Mechanic. This was a secret of the Mechanic class, and outsiders did not know much about it. The dynasty would not tell him such secrets either.

  After thinking for a while, Heber let out a depressed sigh and shook his head.

  This Black Star truly can’t sit still. He only challenged me two months ago, and now he’s provoked the Mechanic Emperor.

  “Ignore them. I don’t know about the Mechanic world, and it doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

  Heber waved his arms and threw this matter to the back of his mind.

  …

  In the Virtual World of the Black Star Army’s main system, the battle between the two Divine Throne Mechanics had been going on for a while.

  With the boost of the [Perfect Mechanical Sense], the gap between Han Xiao and Manison was narrowed, but together with his territorial advantage and help of the logistics department, Han Xiao was barely able to defend against Manison’s Virtual Intrusion and slow down the outflow of data.

  Manison was not able to infiltrate into the main system with Han Xiao fighting back, but he was able to extract data through the loopholes of the firewall.

  Although the [Perfect Mechanical Sense] Character Summon Card had amazing effects, there was a time limit, and it could only be used for sixteen hours at most. As long as Manison was willing, he would be able to drag on this battle for a few days for sure.

  Thankfully, I called for help. If not, things would be bad for sure.

  Han Xiao then stalled for time and waited for Maximiler.

  A few hours later, a new Beyond Grade A Mechanic entered the battlefield!

  Outside the firewall, a Virtual Soul appeared in front of the two.

  Han Xiao was slightly stunned when he saw the incoming individual.

  The one who had arrived was not Maximiler, who he was familiar with, but another Beyond Grade A ally.

  Manison then looked over with a frown and said, “Kant, why is it you?”

  “Heh, can’t I come?” This Virtual Soul smiled. His appearance was extremely odd. He looked like a snow-white cylinder with the top thick but bottom narrow. There was also a green leaf at the top of his head with three eyes in the middle of his body. He looked like a daikon.

  This person… cough, this daikon was one of the three National Pillars of the Crimson Dynasty, ‘Illusory Deity’ Kant.

  His nickname sounded like that of a Psychic or Mage, but he was a Mechanic. He belonged to the Phantom race, and his Racial Talent was to transform his body to mimic other beings.

  After advancing to the Beyond Grade A realm, Kant’s Racial Talent had evolved, and he was capable of transforming into any biological being. Furthermore, his transformation was even more realistic than the spells of a Mage or the simulation of a Mechanic.

  Because of this talent, he had a powerful disguise ability and could easily mix with any different species. No one had seen his true form before.

  He also enjoyed transforming into different forms and would appear in a different form every day. In fact, his transformation ability had even overshadowed his Mechanic abilities, and thus, he had obtained such a nickname.

  Manison knew Kant and asked with doubt, “What species are you today? Is there such a species in the universe? Why do you look like a daikon?”

  “Because the species that I transformed into is a daikon.” Kant blinked.

  “…”

  Manison was speechless. After falling silent for a while, he stopped his attack.

  If Maximiler was the one who appeared, Manison would not have been afraid. However, the one who had arrived was Kant. Although he would be able to deal with both of them together, this was not his territory, and it would not be easy for him to do so.

  Furthermore, Kant was definitely there under the orders of the dynasty. If Manison managed to fight two Beyond Grade As alone, Manison’s prestige would definitely increase. Thus, they had sent someone more powerful to get Manison to retreat.

  Knowing that the dynasty intended to warn him, Manison moved Finette back into his Virtual Soul and said to Han Xiao slowly, “Perhaps we might’ve been friends if you weren’t a Mechanic.”

  Manison’s Virtual Soul then disappeared, and he retreated.

  He h
ad come and gone like the wind.

  News of the battle had already been spread, and his objective had been met. He had also obtained a large amount of data from the Black Star Army.

  It would not matter how an ordinary individual viewed the battle. However, his performance of suppressing Black Star would definitely stabilize his position in the Machinery Faith and his title as number one Mechanic.

  Upon seeing Manison leave, Han Xiao frowned and shook his head.

  At this moment, Kant looked over.

  The dynasty did not only send Kant out to stop the battle but also to console Black Star. The dynasty placed great importance in Han Xiao’s potential, and they were afraid that his confidence would be affected after this.

  After thinking for a while, Kant comforted him. “Don’t be discouraged. You are still young. It is normal for you to lose to the Mechanic Emperor, and it isn’t too embarrassing. Look on the bright side; he didn’t have too big of an advantage over you, and there is still a long way to go. There isn’t a need to be anxious.”

  Han Xiao looked at Kant and did not say anything.

  Upon seeing that, a hand appeared on Kant’s body, and he stroked his green leaf with a sigh. “I was also targeted by the Mechanic Emperor before, and my performance was even worse than yours. In truth, it isn’t a bad thing to suffer some losses when you are young.”

  Upon hearing that, Han Xiao had a strange look on his face.

  After seeing the mission complete notification on his interface, Han Xiao could not help but nod in agreement.

  “You’re right. It would be great if I can suffer a few more ‘losses’…”

  Chapter 962. Gains and Losses |

  Upon hearing Han Xiao say that, Kant naturally misunderstood Han Xiao’s intentions and chuckled.

  “Heh, you are truly open minded. This attitude isn’t too bad, and you should strive to keep such an attitude. Right, do you know why the Mechanic Emperor chose to attack you? The dynasty asked me to inform you of the reason, but there isn’t a need for me to do so if you are already aware of it.”

  “I would have to trouble you to explain it to me.”

  Han Xiao knew that this matter was related to the Machinery Faith, but it would not be a bad thing for him to hear the dynasty’s explanation.

  Kant nodded and briefly explained the matter to him. His explanation was the same as the introduction of [Key of Adeptus Mechanicus]. The reason was to fight for the followers of the Machinery Faith. However, he had helped Han Xiao fill in some gaps.

  For example, even though the followers of the Machinery Faith were a group of people who believed a little in everyone, a follower was not able to give the bonus to more than one Machinery Deity.

  Furthermore, only the members of the Machinery Faith could provide strength; other followers were not able to trigger the [Key of Adeptus Mechanicus]. This was related to some unspoken rule in the Machinery Faith. The Arcane Church was the expert in this area, and the dynasty had not researched too deeply into it.

  Everyone knew that most of the Machinery Faith followers were Mechanics, and Manison had the most followers as the publicly acknowledged most powerful Mechanic.

  The followers of the Machinery Faith were a bunch of pragmatic people. To most of the followers, they would follow the most powerful Mechanic. If the title of the most powerful Mechanic was changed, they would also change their idol. They were not too bothered about potential and only cared about who the strongest individual was.

  Furthermore, the followers of the Machinery Faith only looked at the strength of a Mechanic in his Mechanic related skills and not his strength in other areas. Thus, the Mechanics that had a powerful body were not able to move them unless they could prove that their strength came from the source of being a Mechanic.

  “I wasn’t able to win against Manison back then. He’s defeated all his competitors and sat on the throne of Machinery Faith leader for a long time. Thus, there isn’t a need for you to feel discouraged. It is a normal thing for you to lose to him in terms of Virtual Technology.”

  Kant twiddled with the leaf on his head and consoled Han Xiao.

  He had also been defeated by Manison before. Since he could not defeat the other party, he could only take a step back and not snatch Manison’s followers.

  “Don’t worry, I’m alright.”

  Han Xiao slightly raised his brows.

  He did not intend to provoke Manison, and even if he had to become enemies with Manison one day, this was not the right time. It was a pity that the strength he had received spoiled his plans, and Manison had begun targeting him.

  Indeed, those of the same class were true nemeses!

  Han Xiao then paused for a moment before asking, “What is the attitude of the dynasty?”

  “I know what you want to ask. However, don’t count on the dynasty standing up for you in this regard,” Kant said. “This isn’t the first time that Manison has provoked the other Mechanics. Since there wasn’t a risk to your life, there isn’t much that the dynasty can do. If you aren’t resigned, you can only issue a challenge in the name of the Black Star Army but not the dynasty’s name. Don’t think of using your title of being the dynasty’s ally to hold the dynasty hostage. I had a miserable lesson in this regard before.”

  Upon hearing that, Han Xiao shook his head. He now understood the dynasty’s attitude toward this matter. The dynasty would only console him but not stand up for him.

  This was not the first time that Manison had done something like this. At the end of the day, his only motive was to defeat the Mechanics at the same level as him to prove that he was the boss. Thus, it was rare for lives to be lost. Since it was just a spar between Beyond Grade As, he could only blame his own lack of skill if he lost. The three Universal Civilizations would not be able to do a thing and would only ensure that things did not get blown out of proportion.

  Furthermore, Manison was still an important ally of the Federation of Light, and his backer was extremely powerful.

  “Why didn’t the dynasty warn me beforehand?” Han Xiao raised his brows.

  “You need to use your contribution to exchange for such intelligence,” Kant said with a strange tone. “Did the dynasty give you all your Class knowledge for free?”

  Han Xiao was dumbfounded and understood what was going on.

  Because a Divine Throne Mechanic might not be familiar with his own strength, the properties of [Key of Adeptus Mechanicus] were like Ultimate Knowledge and required Contribution Points in exchange for them. The three Universal Civilizations would not inform their allies about this matter casually, and it was an exception for them to take the initiative to explain this matter to Han Xiao.

  This meant that the introduction on the interface had saved Han Xiao a sum of Contribution Points.

  “Don’t be too bothered about this. The dynasty didn’t take the initiative to inform you about this matter to protect you. They were probably afraid that you would try to gather followers after finding out about this and create conflicts with others. You have plenty of potential, and we are now in a sensitive period. They do not wish for you to face an old fogey like Manison head on and hope that you will take a step back regarding this matter.”

  “I understand.” Han Xiao did not deny those words.

  This was indeed the logic of an advanced civilization. They would look at all their plans from the perspective of a few decades or centuries. The potential that he had shown made the dynasty very patient with him and treated him as a long-term chess piece. It would not matter if he could not beat Manison. He only needed to live longer than Manison, and the dynasty was extremely confident in Black Star’s ability to stay alive.

  However, this went against Han Xiao’s style.

  After finishing what the dynasty wanted him to convey, Kant turned around and left. “Alright then, everything has already been settled, so I shall take my leave.”

  “Isn’t this our first official meeting? Aren’t you going to stay behind and ch
at with me?” Han Xiao asked out of courtesy.

  “Forget it. It seems like you have plenty of things to take care of.” Kant then looked at the devastated main system of the Black Star Army and said, “We will have other chances to chat. I shall not disturb you today.”

  As he said that, Kant’s Virtual Soul turned into a ray of light and disappeared into the net.

  His attitude toward Han Xiao was not too bad, but Kant would not have been so friendly if Han Xiao was not at the Divine Throne Mechanic level.

  After watching Kant leave, Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief and finally had the time to take care of the mess that Manison had left behind.

  After clearing up the viruses that were left behind in Phillip’s logic module, Han Xiao got Phillip to perform a few diagnostics tests and confirmed that all the viruses were cleaned up before reopening the Black Star Army network.

  “Thank you, master. I am all recovered now, hum…” Phillip was extremely energetic now that he had recovered.

  “Eh? You called me daddy when you were in danger but changed your address now that you are alright,” Han Xiao teased.

  “Hehehe…” Phillip made a funny face.

  Risda then floated to Han Xiao’s side and said, “Your Excellency Black Star, with regards to Manison…”

  “I know what you want to say.”

  Han Xiao then got Phillip to go to the side before looking at Risda with a solemn expression.

  “I am not going to hide things from you. I have always been hesitating over whether I should help you because I did not wish to provoke the Mechanic Emperor. However, you can see the situation now. If I don’t take a step back, both of us will have a conflict in terms of benefits.

  “I understand.” Risda nodded.

  “I am temporarily unable to beat Manison in terms of Mechanic skills. However, I will have a battle with him eventually, so our goals are aligned. Helping you complete your wish will weaken Manison. I will try my best to find a chance to save your AI civilization.”

  Previously, Han Xiao would only make excuses whenever Risda brought up this matter, but he finally made a promise this time.